Good Friday morning. It’s the end of the week, but things are not getting much better for the Panhandle, which is still reeling from Hurricane Michael.

SIX MONTHS: It’s been six months since the deadly storm, and Congress has allocated a whopping $0 to help the storm-whacked region. A multi-billion dollar disaster relief package remains stalled in large part due to fights over funding for Puerto Rico. Ahead of a two-week Senate recess, Sen. Rick Scott joined a group of senators who met Thursday with President Donald Trump to talk disaster recovery.

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Tick-tock, the Panhandle is watching and the question is whether or not the lack of help will start to anger voters in the reliable GOP region. State Rep. Jay Trumbull, a Panama City Republican, called it “unbelievable” that nothing has passed. “I’d like to bring them to Panama City,” he said of members of Congress.

THEN THERE’S THIS — “Commission chair: Bay County ‘will not survive’ without help, disaster relief funding,” by News Herald’s Eryn Dion: Read more

...TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP...

SEN. SCOTT — “Senators to meet with Trump on disaster aid,” by POLITICO's Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett: “Senators whose states are recovering from natural disasters will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday afternoon to discuss a stalled aid package. The meeting comes as the Senate prepares to leave for a two-week recess without coming to a deal on a multibillion-dollar disaster aid proposal.” Read more

CHECKING IN ON ROGER STONE — “Roger Stone’s woes: He’s broke. Donald Trump doesn’t call. And his wife broke her ankle,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “In a wide ranging interview with SiriusXM’s ‘Jim Norton and Sam Roberts’ on Thursday he said[:] 'I have to pay everything I have to lawyers. And I could no longer pay the rent in the property that I was in. I moved from a nine-bedroom house to a one-bedroom apartment. Had to do the move myself with my wife renting a truck. On the last day of the move in kind of a freak accident the truck slips out of gear and rolls over my wife’s ankle, breaking it.'” Sun Sentinel ... The interview

DWS — “Wasserman Schultz wants to stop Trump administration from deporting sponsors of immigrant children,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz wants to overturn a Trump administration policy under which potential sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children being held by the government are arrested and deported. Even without the policy, Wasserman Schultz said the children are languishing too long in government facilities.” Read more

OH? — “Is a political comeback coming for Allen West, the incendiary former South Florida congressman?” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Allen West, the former South Florida congressman who was beloved and hated for his verbal grenades, is being talked about as a possible 2020 candidate for Congress. If he makes a political comeback, it wouldn’t be in his former South Florida home. It would be in Texas, where he moved in 2014, two years after Florida voters rejected him.” Read more

HEY JOE— Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush shared a stage on Thursday for a University of Pennsylvania event on opioid addiction. Washington Post national political reporter Matt Viser noted on Twitter that Biden said to Bush “You were a hell of a governor.” It’s an interesting remark for the potential Democratic contender to make about the governor who signed into law one of the nation’s largest private school voucher programs, went after affirmative action in university admissions and signed several gun rights measures into law.

BIG STEP — “Sen. Rick Scott wants the U.S. military to deliver aid in Venezuela,” by Miami Herald’s Alex Daugherty: “After Nicolás Maduro blocked humanitarian aid from entering Venezuela in February, the U.S. and others responded with sanctions. But nearly two months later, much of the aid continues to sit at the Venezuela-Colombia border. Now, Florida Sen. Rick Scott is urging the U.S. military to get involved in getting aid across the border, after unarmed trucks manned by supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaidó were blocked by Maduro on Feb. 23.” Read more

DONE DEAL — “Senate confirms Bernhardt to head Interior,” by POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna: “The Senate confirmed David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist and Interior Department veteran, to serve as the agency's 53rd secretary by a 56-41 vote on Thursday, rejecting ethics concerns raised by Democrats.” Read more

STILL NO PROMISES — Key paragraph: “Florida Republicans Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted in favor of Bernhardt after expressing confidence the state's coasts would not be opened to drilling, though they received no concrete public assurances along those lines.”

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

TOUGH — “In Florida, the fight over alimony can be brutal,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Leonora LaPeter Anton: “Alimony is among the most fiercely litigated issues in divorce court. Disagreements can often pitch a couple into another stratosphere of hatred and acrimony. Taxpayer-supported judges spend days resolving disputes over late payments, unpaid attorney fees and hateful social media posts. Legal arguments and hearings sometimes continue for years, until there is no money left to divide.” Read more

HARDENING — “Florida could soon bury more power lines. Customers might pick up the cost,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Samantha J. Gross: “A pair of seemingly popular bills have been flying through the Florida Legislature, quietly passing through committees and likely headed to their respective chamber floors. On its face, the combined effort looks like good news for Floridians: It aims to strengthen the electric grid and minimize damage from hurricanes and tropical storms.” Read more

POOF — “Firefighters’ hopes for cancer coverage go up in smoke during legislative session,” by Miami Herald’s Elizabeth Koh: “A bill in the Florida Legislature that would give firefighters cancer coverage seems to have much in its favor: a sympathetic cause, an organized advocacy effort, a trend of similar bills-turned-law in other states around the country.” Read more

I’M NOT SCOTT— “DeSantis wants Spanish-language ballots statewide,” by POLITICO Florida’s Gary Fineout: “Florida will require the use of Spanish-language ballots in the 2020 elections as part of an effort to resolve an ongoing federal lawsuit.” Politico Pro

SNIP SNIP — “Health agency cuts would negatively impact Florida children with autism,” by Wink News: “Slashing money for programs that help children with autism, families and therapists in Southwest Florida worry about a new state proposal. One Fort Myers father is concerns about his daughter, who depends on these services.” Read more

PRIVATE — “Florida House takes tough stance on commercial use of genetic tests,” by News Service of Florida’s Christine Sexton: “Amid privacy concerns and dramatic growth in genetic testing products, the Florida House on Thursday passed a bill that would ban life-insurance and long-term care insurance companies from using genetic testing information in policy decisions.” Read more

ON THE MOVE — “Florida House passes bill on cheap Canadian drug imports,” by AP’s Curt Anderson: “Floridians could eventually gain access to cheaper Canadian prescription drugs under legislation passed by the state House, a top priority of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The GOP-led House voted 93-22 on Thursday for the measure, which if finalized creates a prescription drug importation program that would have to be approved by the federal government.” Read more

RACE TO FINISH— “Bradley: Budget conference could start after Easter,” by POLITICO Florida’s Arek Sarkissian: Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley said today that conferences with the House about next year’s state budget could begin by April 22, giving state lawmakers another week to hash out details about the funding allocations. “Nothing is certain, but we’re thinking of starting conferences on the Monday or Tuesday after Easter,” Bradley said. Politico Pro

114-0 —“House unanimously passes anti-Semitism bill that sparked uproar,” by POLITICO Florida’s Gary Fineout: The Florida House unanimously passed a bill, FL HB741 (19R), to require schools and colleges to treat allegations of anti-Semitism the same as they would allegations of racial discrimination. The vote followed days of turmoil among Senate Democrats after their caucus leader, Sen. Audrey Gibson from Jacksonville, voted against the Senate version of the bill. Gibson attempted to explain her vote, only to find herself under withering criticism from Republicans and members of her own party. Politico Pro

— WHERE’S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is expected to be in Tallahassee following a Thursday trip to Augusta, Georgia to watch the Masters Tournament. The trip wasn’t listed on his official schedule for Thursday. His office said Friday that the governor was on “personal time” when he made the visit.

...PENINSULA AND BEYOND...

OH, GREAT — “Florida has more Hepatitis A cases this year than 2014-2017 combined. Here’s an update,” by Miami Herald's David J. Neal: “Numbers starkly tell how, as in the rest of the nation, Hepatitis A is spreading across Florida like humidity. Those same numbers also say the liver disease’s blob of infection expanding from Central Florida has touched, but not covered, South Florida — yet.” Read more

GRIM NEWS — “These are the cities where you’re most likely to die in a DUI crash in Florida,” by Miami Herald’s Linda Robertson: “Where is the danger of being killed in a DUI crash highest in Florida? You should avoid driving in these cities: Destin, Sarasota, Key West and Key Largo are among the deadliest cities for drunk driving fatalities.” Read more

HINT HINT — “New SFWMD board members briefed on water system, hint how they might run it differently,” by TCPalm’s Tyler Treadway: “A workshop Wednesday was not only a chance for the all-new members of the South Florida Water Management District board to learn about how water flows through the 18-county district, it was a chance for members to hint at how they'll manage it differently than in the past.” Read more

OUT TO SEA — “Federal judge threatens to temporarily block Carnival ships from docking at U.S. ports,” by Miami Herald’s Taylor Dolven: “A federal judge Wednesday threatened to stop Carnival Corp. from docking its ships at U.S. ports temporarily as punishment for possibly violating probation but said she would make a decision at a hearing scheduled for June.” Read more

VIRTUAL NIGHTMARE — “Special Report: Florida Virtual School faces leadership crisis after resignation, investigations, unexpected death,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal, Beth Kassab and Kevin Spear: "Well-known Orlando attorney Frank Kruppenbacher’s ties to former Gov. Rick Scott helped him amass authority at the state-run Florida Virtual School until a clash with its new leader led to his abrupt departure last summer, touching off a crisis at the school considered a national pioneer in online education.” Read more

... TRANSITIONS ...

PROMOTED — Brian Hughes, who has been chief of staff for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, is moving into the post of chief administrative officer for the city, reports News4Jax. Hughes is a former political consultant who has worked on multiple Republican campaigns and worked for former Gov. Rick Scott during his first term in office.

...ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN...

SOFLA — “She hobnobbed with Miami socialites — while running a designer-handbag scam, feds say,” by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver: “She has a thing for luxury handbags — Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton. The society maven, who is always impeccably dressed at gala charity benefits in Miami, likes to snap up those pricey bags online, the feds say. But Meghana Rajadhyaksha also returns them just as fast for thousands of dollars in refunds.” Read more

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About The Author : Gary Fineout

Gary Fineout came to POLITICO Florida in February 2019 after spending more than two decades covering Florida politics and government.

He spent the previous seven and a half years working in the Tallahassee bureau of The Associated Press. Prior to that, he has worked for The Miami Herald, The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Tallahassee Democrat.

Fineout grew up in Florida and is a graduate of Florida State University.

About The Author : Matt Dixon

Matt Dixon came to POLITICO Florida in March 2014 after five years covering the Sunshine State’s government and political scene.

He served as Florida Times-Union’s bureau chief for four years. During his tenure, he was first to break the news of former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll’s resignation, reported the Florida Department of Transportation covering-up reports or bid rigging and collusion, and uncovered a quiet last-minute budget item that saved the tobacco industry hundreds-of-millions-of dollars. He also helped build Scripps Newspaper’s first ever Florida bureau.

Over his career, Dixon has been recognized for both his political and investigative work, most recently winning a 2015 Green Eyeshade Award for investigative reporting. He has also been awarded the Gene Miller Award of Investigative Reporting, and the Florida Press Club’s top government reporting award.

Dixon is a Wisconsin native and graduate of Marquette University. He has lived in Florida since 2008, where he came immediately after graduation to work for the Villages Daily Sun. He also covered city and state government for the Panama City News Herald before joining the Times-Union.